Heinrich Wassmer Looking for Knockout Win at Combate Americas

In the year and a half since he turned professional, flyweight prospect Heinrich “Ricky Scraps” Wassmer has done just about everything that’s expected of him.

In four fights, Wassmer has four finishes, but he’s quick to point out that he’s still got a long ways to go in his development and he’ll keep striving to be the most complete fighter he can be.

“I think I’ve definitely come a long way,” Wassmer told MMAWeekly.com. “I’ve pretty much implemented the game plan that we’ve set up. Of course I do think there’s much room for growth and much room to get better.

“You never want to say you’re perfect. You always want to be reaching for perfection, so you keep getting better and keep improving.”

After a win over Ramos Cruz in his Combate Americas debut in April, Wassmer (4-0) returns to the promotion on August 11 in Los Angeles, California, to take on fellow California product Benji “Brawler” Gomez (5-5) in a main card 125-pound bout.

“Benji is a tough guy, and his nickname says it all, he’s a brawler,” Wassmer said. “We both came up through the same amateur scene. He has much more fights amateur and a few more fights than me as a pro. A fight’s a fight, and I go in there with intentions to win and to beat him up.

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“I don’t expect the takedowns to come easy, I don’t expect the ground game to come easy, if it does get there, it’s obviously going to be something I’m going to have to work for. My intention is to try to work on my hands and get as comfortable as I can on the feet, and eventually get myself a knockout victory.”

Having been in the same circles over the course of their careers, Wassmer believes that it will something he can use to his advantage in the fight against Gomez, but also doesn’t want to rely on that knowledge too much.

“I do think it’s beneficial because I kind of have an idea of what to expect from the guy,” said Wassmer. “I’ve seen his development as a fighter, so that’s beneficial. But I really like to step in there and not concern myself with what he wants to do. If I let him do anything, then I’m already a step behind in the fight.

“I want to go in there and make sure he doesn’t get anything off; he doesn’t get his rhythm or his groove or his range. I really want to make him feel like he’s uncomfortable in that cage from the moment the bell rings until the moment the fight’s over.”

With a win on Aug. 11, Wassmer could set himself up for big things in Combate. But for now his focus is firmly on Gomez and the fight to come.

“Benji is a tough opponent, and I don’t want to overlook him and look at anything in the future,” Wassmer said. “Hopefully I can get in another fight after this one, maybe two. I want to keep myself as active as possible, but I definitely have my hands full with Benji right now.”

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